From a business perspective, Square Enix is doing moderately well, but from a gamer’s perspective, Square Enix is doing horribly. During this generation of gaming, Square Enix has disappointed its fans with games like Final Fantasy XIII, angered its fans with sequels to Final Fantasy XIII, and disappointed its fans again with the lack of promised titles like Final Fantasy Versus XIII, while putting salt into the wounds of its already hurting fans by having numerous countdowns that only lead to the announcement of small browser games. There are three major games that Square Enix needs to release in 2013. If Square Enix releases these three games, all of its missteps will eventually be forgiven and forgotten.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII

It’s been close to seven years since Final Fantasy Versus XIII was first announced. SEVEN YEARS. It is time for Final Fantasy Versus XIII to be released. Final Fantasy fans were so eager to play the game after Square Enix released this breathtaking trailer. It’s been nearly seven years! It’s time for the game to come out. Final Fantasy Versus XII has been in development since November of 2005. Think about how much the game industry has changed since then. Great series like Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed, BioShock, and Mass Effect weren’t even announced then. When the development of Final Fantasy Versus XIII began, the Wii and PS3 were brand new consoles! Whether Final Fantasy Versus XIII keeps its name or becomes the inevitable Final Fantasy XV, the game everyone saw all those years ago needs to come out.

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX

Many of the last generation’s biggest games have received the HD treatment. Now, Kingdom Hearts is finally getting the same treatment. Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIx was announced last year — for Japan. The Kingdom Hearts series has a lot of fans in the US, and Square Enix isn’t even planning on releasing the HD remake in America. This is simply bad business and a poor display of fan service. Fans have been clamoring for Kingdom Hearts 3 for years. I understand that the developers who would work on Kingdom Hearts 3 are “supposedly” busy working on Final Fantasy Versus XIII, but the least Square Enix could do is release Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX (and the inevitable Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX) in North America.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is an old school-style JRPG for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in Japan last year to both critical and commercial success. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is the JRPG that fans of the genre have been wanting for years. The game was so successful in Japan that a sequel is already being planned. With how much success the game has seen in Japan, most people would assume that a North American release would be a guarantee, but unfortunately it’s not. In fact, Square Enix isn’t even planning on releasing the game overseas. This is yet another horrible move in terms of business and fan service. Square Enix has given its fans a lot of games that the fans didn’t want this generation. The least Square Enix could do is give the fans a game they actually do want this year. After all, JRPGs can sell really well in North America. Releasing Bravely Default: Flying Fairy (with a different name) in North America would be a smart move by Square Enix. They would make a profit off the venture while pleasing their hurting fans.

This generation of gaming has not been kind to Square Enix, but there is still time to fix that. Gamers want to love Square Enix. After all, the company is responsible for some of the most beloved games of all time. If Square Enix releases Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX, and Bravely Default: Flying Fairy in 2013, the company will be well on its way to mending its relationship with gamers.

Written by: Jay Curtis

Versus 13 will never see the light of day. It’s one of the many titles Sony just announces at E3 to make their list look more impressive, like Agen, The Last Guardian, etc, etc, etc. Overhype and underdeliver!

Jay Curtis

I certainly hope that won’t happen, but it’s definitely a possibility.

I would replace Bravely with Final Fantasy Type-0 and FFXHD but hey this is your take.

Jay Curtis

Thank you for your respectful comment! That’s always nice to see. I would love for either of those games to come out, but I just think that Bravely is more likely. I tried to make the list the top 3 games that I thought had a good chance of coming out in 2013.

square has hinted at it a bunch of times, we have a trademark thats more than the nothing you made it out to be

Jay Curtis

Hinted a bunch of times? We got a strange trademark a few months ago, but that’s been it.

Also, you’ve missed the entire point of the article. The article isn’t about how likely it is that square will release these games. The article is about games that I think Square needs to release in 2013.

DQ IX is the highest selling DQ in history. So wouldnt you say the fanbase increased?

Jay Curtis

You can’t just say that the entire fanbase has increased because of just one game. We’re talking about an entire company here. Not to mention, Final Fantasy has always been Square’s biggest series. If you’re going to look at the entire company on just one series, you should look at the company’s biggest series.

The most recent “normal” (as in a standard JRPG) Final Fantasy game was Final Fantasy XIII-2. XIII-2 sold about 2.9 million copies worldwide. In comparison, the best selling game in the series, VII, sold about 9.7 copies worldwide. For even further comparison, X-2, the only other numbered Final Fantasy sequel, sold about 5.3 million units. If the company’s largest series is any indication, people aren’t as interested in Square Enix anymore.

Personally, I find this to be a shame. I’ve been rather disappointed with Square this generation, but I still love the company.

Luke, I disagree with this article. Your too harsh, a tad bit generalized, and revised history a tad

Jay Curtis

Luke? I wrote this.
As far as you saying that you could argue that this has been square’s most prolific gen ever, are you serious? I don’t mean to come across as rude, but that’s a bit crazy. I think you could make the argument that this has been square’s worst gen ever. Square hasn’t been completely awful this gen, but they could have been a lot better.

1. Check the numbers
2. Sales have A LOT to do with quality. People buy games that they think will be good. If people are disappointed with a game (like Final Fantasy XII) then they aren’t likely to buy the game’s sequels or other games from the company.

no, they never said it was dissapointing. They said it wouldnt reach the record numbers it thought it would. Its still outsold every other re up to this point.

Jay Curtis

Up to this point perhaps, but 6 will fall short of reaching the mark set by 5 (which also disappointed fans). Capcom expected 6 to be the best selling RE to date. It’s going to fall short by at least a million units.

Also, why are we talking about RE in an article about Square Enix? Let’s just stop while we’re ahead.

FFXIII wasn’t that great, but it wasn’t that bad either. FFXIII-2 was supposedly much better. Square Enix hasn’t messed up other than that though. Considering everything Eidos is Square Enix, the latest Deus Ex, Hitman, and (upcoming) Tomb Raider are/look great. DQX is doing fairly well, balancing out FFXIV mishap. Plus, DQ9, Kingdom Hearts 3D, and Sleeping Dogs and I feel like more winners come out than losers.

Jay Curtis

Oh Eidos has been wonderful. I’m specifically talking about the Japanese part of Square Enix. I don’t think the games have been awful, but Square Enix’s fanbase is unhappy to say the least.

Japanese Square Enix happens to be my favorite Square Enix part. It’s true that their newer games haven’t been as groundbreaking or fantastic as the FF of the PS1 era. But it’s also true that Square Enix’s fanbase are a bunch of whiny babies. Kidding. Not really.

Jay Curtis

Haha no arguments here about the latter. For the record, the Japanese part of Square Enix is also my personal favorite. I think that part of the company has still made some good games this gen. I just think that the games could have been a lot better.

Unless you heard a statement from Square that I didn’t (i.e. “We will not release Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMix in America”) then your article is very misleading. “Square Enix isn’t even planning on releasing the HD remake in America.” is much different than “Square Enix has not announced a release in America yet.”

Jay Curtis

I’m not sure what you have a problem with. Square Enix announced that they have no plans on releasing the game in North America. That’s just the honest truth.

Joe

“No plans” does not mean “it will never be released” which is what your article makes it sound like. Localization announcements almost never come with a game’s initial announcement. This has been the case for many years now.

Jay Curtis

If I’m not mistaken, the game was announced back at TGS. It’s a little strange that the game still hasn’t been announced for North America. Square Enix has also said on several occasions that there are still no plans for a North American release. I certainly hope that it is localized though. I assume that Square Enix will think about the potential profit, and go through with the localization eventually.